Feel Like Makin' Love (Rock and Roll Trilogy #3) (27 page)

That she worried about Matthew made Andy
feel very sad. He saw how much Matthew loved her and knew there was no possibility of anything
but
love from him. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about Kyliejo. Sometimes God has other plans. You show her so much love when we go to see her that it makes me have to hold back tears – pride, that’s what I feel so strongly. And then there’s the way you’ve handled your whole ordeal,” he paused, feeling a lump in his throat. “I don’t know what I’d have done if had been something worse than it was.”

“But it wasn’t, Papa. Thank God, it wasn’t
, and we can move forward.”

Geni called that evening; she’d be returning late on Friday, and Carlee smiled to herself.
Now Papa will have a celebration of his own…

~ ~ ~

The week went by quickly, and thinking of Friday evening excited Carlee for many reasons. She was ready for an evening alone, a romantic evening alone with Matthew. Thursday night they were on the sofa watching TV. “Can we just go to bed? I’m exhausted tonight,” she told him.

“What about your shower?” he
asked.

“C
an we do it in the morning?” she replied. “Tomorrow is my last treatment, and I want to be fresh and ready for a great day!”

“Sure, whatever you’d like.”

She crawled into bed and snuggled into his arms; her back to him, she scooted closer, and he wrapped his arms around her. He placed warm kisses on her head and felt the tickle of the soft hair that was beginning to grow back. His hands slipped under the pajama top and tenderly caressed wherever they touched. “Carlee, I love you.”

She turned in his arms to face him, his hands sliding around to rub the skin on her back.
She tenderly traced his face with a feather-like touch, and then drew him closer for a kiss, and then whispered, “Go to sleep.”

She hadn’t mentioned his birthday, but he knew there was no way she’d forgotten
. She also hadn’t said a word about Valentine’s Day, so the shower set his thoughts in motion, and then the ‘go to sleep’ comment; she was up to something. He’d play along, but he had his own goodies up his sleeve too.

Curling back into his arms, she closed her eyes, thinking about him,
thinking of him lying against her, thinking of the passion she knew they would share tomorrow evening when they didn’t have to get up early. She wanted him, slowly… but she wanted it to be special, like the first time all over again, and another first date.

~ ~ ~

Friday morning, Andy was there early to get her. The day ahead excited him too. Geni would be back, and he was in on a surprise for Matthew from Carlee, and one from him to her. Deb was coming over to help her dress for the evening, and he noticed that Carlee was on a ‘high’ like he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Have a good day!” she said in a cheery voice as she kissed
Matthew’s cheek and went out the door.

“Papa, today is going to be a good day
; I can feel it!”

“I’m happy about it too,” he told her with a smile. “I’ll be glad to have Geni back with me.”

She kept her smile to herself. As much as she missed her mama, she was happy that he’d finally found someone to share his heart with.

When they entered the building, Carlee was overwhelmed and started to cry
- there were daisies everywhere! Tamara and Seth came around the corner as she saw them all.

“Someone must love you very much!” Seth laughed. She looked at Andy.

“I love you, but I didn’t do this,” he smiled.

Tamara handed her a card
, and she noticed Matthew’s handwriting. She pulled the card out, but didn’t share it with the others.
Happy Retirement
the outside of the card read and she opened it. The words imprinted on the inside read:
Wishing you many happy journeys in the next part of your life
. And then she saw his words,
I’ll be right there with you, holding your hand, taking you all kinds of places you’ve never been. I love you like crazy, Matthew.

She
knew the innuendo, knew what ‘all kinds of places you’ve never been’ meant, and she couldn’t wait for the evening ahead even more. She tucked the card in her bag and turned to Seth. “Let’s go; I have a hot date tonight!”

While she was in the back, Andy started to put the daisies in the car.
He was waiting when she came out. Seth hugged her, “You’ve made this easy for me,” he said. “I’ll see you when you come back for your check-up. Be well, Carlee.”

“I hope to!”

She turned to Tamara. “I’m not done with you,” she said with a big smile as Carlee hugged her. “Everything looks good,” she added when Andy had a questioned expression on his face. “She’ll be back in three months, but I meant I’d see her with Kyliejo.”

“Come on, Papa! Let’s go!”

~ ~ ~

They stopped at
Six, and Carlee went in with him. Cook was waiting for her in the kitchen. “Just as you requested,” he whispered in her ear as she hugged him. She grabbed the cake, while Andy took the bag with the other items.

“I’ll see you soon! Thank you Peter Cook! I love you!”

Andy loved the excitement in her voice, but he loved more that it was genuine, not her ‘happy face.’ He went upstairs with her, his hands full of daisies. “I’ll be right back.”

He was gone about ten minutes and returned with an
other handful of the daisies and a bottle of her favorite chilled Machus and put it in the fridge.

While she napped
a while, Andy was working on the new song he had in his head. The concert was just a short time away, and he was still tweaking. The Traveler guys would be there on Monday, and they’d be at the rehearsal space Andy had rented for two full days.

When she woke, Andy thought she looked like a new person. She
placed the daisies around the living room, their bedroom, some on the dining room table, and some on the kitchen counter. Andy helped her get a glass baking dish to put the chicken and zucchini in to keep it warm. She set the table, and a few minutes later Deb knocked on the door.

“Shoo Papa, go get ready for Geni’s
return! Plan something special - now go! I love you!”

~ ~ ~

Friday afternoon Matthew had a faculty meeting after his last class and would be late getting home. Carlee told him to call her when he was on his way. Deb helped her dress, and she sat at the vanity and put make-up on. “Gosh, I haven’t had anything more than lipstick and eye liner on in so long that I forgot what I’m doing! She wet her hands and had Deb spray on a tiny amount of the Scarlett Poppies. She brought her hands to her nose and decided that she could handle it; some smells still made her nauseous. With a wet finger, she barely touched the place behind her ear, at her breast, her wrists, below her belly button and washed her hands. It smelled good but she was afraid too much might make her feel sick. She stepped into her panties and Deb helped her pull the dress she’d chosen over her head. She tied a scarf around her head and turned to Deb and said, “This is as good as it gets.”

“Good looks perfect on you!” Deb said and Carlee’s phone rang.

“Hello!”

“I’m on my way,” he told her.

“I can’t wait for you get here!”

Deb waited a few minutes and got ready to leave. “Welcome back, Carlee. I’m glad you are finally done
with all that, ready to live your life with Matthew.”

Carlee hugged her, “Thank you…” she felt a lump in her throat and shooed Deb away. She didn’t want to cry.
She lit candles, she started soft music playing, and she waited…

She heard the key in the door
, and her heart raced. She stood anxiously as he pushed the door open.

“Wow, Carlee,
” he said as he dropped his briefcase beside the door.

“Wow
, like good wow?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.

He wrappe
d her in his arms and whispered in her ear, “Wow like the best kinda wow.” He nuzzled her neck, “I smell some kinda yummy dinner, but I can’t think past this. You smell like that sex in a bottle.” His fingers traced the neckline of the dress she wore, and he felt her breath hitch as he leaned to kiss her chest at the V of the neckline.

“
You look beautiful.” She was wearing the copper-colored sundress that she’d worn on their first real date. “Carlee, I love you so much; you didn’t have to do all of this to make me want you,” he said, “but I’m glad you did.”

“I wanted this
to be special, Matthew.”

“It’s special every time,
” he said. “Every time we’ve shared these moments since you’ve been going through treatment has been amazing. It was special because you felt good enough to want to be with me, or you wanted to be with me enough to act like you felt good enough,” he looked in her eyes and felt her tremble.

“
I made sure Papa is busy this evening, planning for your mom’s return,” she laughed. “Should we eat?”

“
We can do that if you want, but I’m sure whatever it is will be just as good later,” he said, “and maybe you’ll be hungrier later.” He flashed her a smile that melted her heart, still letting his fingers caress and explore the bare skin of her back.

She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck
. He lifted her into his arms. “The scarves always look beautiful, but I like this better.” He pulled the long end of the scarf she’d wrapped around her head, and let it fall to the floor.

When they reached the bedroom
, he put her on the bed so that she was standing in front of him. Reaching for the zipper on the dress, he lowered it. It slid down her body, and Matthew held his breath, noticing only tiny black lace panties and the face of an angel.

“I know,” he said
kissing her belly button.

“You know what?” she
asked with a light laugh.

“That you can look like an angel, but I know the tiger in there.”

She leaned to him and made a purring sound. “Are you ready for me?”

“I’ve been longing for tha
t wild Carlee to return. I love the beautiful woman that you are, and I am ready for whatever you are.”

“I’m ready for
you
, Matthew.” She stepped out of the dress that lay at her feet on the bed and eased down and scooted to the middle of the bed and waited breathlessly as he undressed. Finally he lay beside her, his fingers skimmed soft flesh and she quivered. They’d had intimate moments in the time since treatment started, but she never really felt up to par, so sex was different. Tonight she was like a cat, stretching her body to meet his. When he rolled on top of her, her fingers, like claws, dug into his back as she arched to allow him to enter.

~ ~ ~

An hour later they went to the kitchen to get a bite of dinner. “You OK?” Matthew asked.

“You tell me,” she laughed. She took her plate and went to where he sat and dropped on
to his lap, wearing only one of her favorite Traveler t-shirts.

“What’s better than OK?” he asked, “No wait, I
know this! Incredible, amazing, crazy-wild, sensuous…”

“Stop,” she laughed.

“Carlee, it was all that and more. I knew you were feeling better, but I don’t think I knew you felt
that
good. But damn, did you feel good…”

“Happy Birthday!” she laughed.

“And Happy Valentine’s day to you. I love you, Carlee.”

~ ~ ~

Andy was waiting in the terminal as Geni came through. She dropped her bag as he pulled her into his arms. “I missed you,” he whispered in her ear as he held her.

“How’s Carlee?”

“Frisky,” he laughed. “She had me help with dinner plans for tonight and after we picked their dinner up at Six, she shooed me away.”

“I love it,” Geni laughed. “So that means you’re available?”

“And frisky,” he laughed and nuzzled her neck. “Let’s go.”

“Do we have dinner? I’m starving!”

“Got it covered,” he said.

When they arrived at the flat, he took her bags to their room.
He returned to find her pouring them both a glass of wine. He had a cheese and fruit platter ready for a snack before their meal. They joined on the sofa, and Andy set the glasses aside. Geni had pulled her hair in a ponytail, and Andy kissed her exposed neck and slipped the band from her hair.

“I missed you,” he said once more.

“Andy,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to get back here with you. I needed to be home for the girls, and my boys, but I couldn’t wait to be here, right here,” she said.

~ ~ ~

The next morning Andy called Carlee, “Not interrupting anything, am I?”